Why you need to watch the original King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963)

The original bout brings us a blast from the past!

Since I was a kid, I have been fascinated by dinosaurs, animals, and other creatures. Liking Godzilla and King Kong was an extension of that fascination, and it came naturally.

Yes, born in the mid-80s, I grew up watching monster movies, particularly the Godzilla movies, whether on TV or on VHS tapes. I always enjoyed them growing up. As an adult, you can imagine my enthusiasm and excitement when these movies started getting the modern treatment a few years back.

With the latest movie, Godzilla vs. Kong, coming out in a few days, I figured this would be a perfect start for my movie blog topics. I recently pulled out my old Bluray disc on the said movie and did a rewatch, and boy, did I have fun with it. What exactly is this post? It is not necessarily a review but more of a look back at the film.

A really big gorilla named Kong vs a radioactive dinosaur named Godzilla? Count me in!

Plot

This post may contain spoilers.

King Kong vs. Godzilla has a simple plot overall. Japanese pharmaceutical company Pacific Pharmaceuticals (How Original) sponsors multiple shows on television, but with ratings lowering, they decided they wanted to go big and promote something different. Enter Faro Island, a mysterious island claiming to have a God living in it. So they did the obvious by sending an expedition to acquire such a monster and bring it back to the mainland.

Elsewhere, an American submarine crashes into an iceberg that unleashes “drum rolls please” none other than Godzilla. Trap inside since the end of the previous Godzilla movie. Godzilla Raids Again (1959). Now Free, Godzilla is once again a menace to Japan.

The rest is simple from here. The expedition meets the aforementioned God, who happens to be Kong. They capture Kong after he defeats a giant octopus. He escapes and attacks Japan from the South while Godzilla attacks from the north. Eventually, they meet in the middle. Godzilla burns Kong a bit; he does not like getting roasted, so he leaves while Godzilla eggs him.

Kong decides to attack Tokyo instead while Godzilla is tearing through Japan. Kong meets a girl; this newfound relationship lasts a good 5 minutes worth of screen time, and then he gets captured again, where he is taken to fight Godzilla again. This entire subplot was more of an homage to the classic film than an actual necessity.

They fight one last time. Godzilla is missing at the end; Kong swims away, being proclaimed the victor.

The Big Fight

That is the movie my friends. That got fast quick, I know, but as I mentioned earlier, this is not a formal review. The plot exists for the sake of having these monsters fight.

Here are a few interesting thing facts about King Kong vs. Godzilla

• There are two versions of the film. King Kong vs. Godzilla is originally a Japanese film from 1962 that was edited for an American audience for release in 1963. This article is based on the latter. I have not yet seen the original Japanese version (unfortunately, I must do something about that).
• The movie pits the two famous movie monsters against one another for the first time ever, and the only time before they meet again is in Godzilla vs. Kong(2021), some 58 years later.
• Both are the monster’s first color movie. Originally, each monster’s first two movies were in black and white.
• The first of only two Japanese King Kong movies, King Kong Escapes, was released in 1967. After that, Japan never made any more King Kong movies when rights reverted back to American studios.
• King Kong gets first billing for being the most popular monster then. Before Godzilla was chosen, he was supposed to fight a gigantic version of Frankenstein.
• This is one of the few Showa-era Godzilla movies where he is still considered a menace.
• At the production studio’s (Toho) request for the majority of the future entries, Godzilla became more of a good guy and an enforcer of humanity to turn it all into a family affair (Godzilla vs Mothra 1964 being the exception)

• Two soundtracks. The American version eliminates most of the original Japanese soundtrack and uses a stock movie soundtrack mix from previous Universal Studios movies. Creature from the Black Lagoon is the most recognizable one.
• There is a myth here; it claims that in the Japanese original, Godzilla wins. Upon the vast amount of research I have done, I can confirm that it isn’t true. The ending is the same, the only difference being two roars at the end, unlike the American version where only Kong roars.
• Japanese Kong is brown-colored and walks upright, unlike gorillas.

Is it worth your time?

King Kong vs. Godzilla is a timeless classic. It is fun, cheesy, and poorly dubbed. The human drama takes a back seat to the monsters, as it should. The American scenes with the news reporter turn the movie into a narrated story.

The technology was outstanding for its day, but the effects do not hold up well in today’s world. Practical effects and miniatures aplenty create an overall silly look, but it works for it. The majority of Kaiju films from the era were made this way. Toys, miniatures, gizmos, suits, and a wild imagination.

If you haven’t watched it, you owe it to yourself to at least watch it once. If you are like me, a fan of the subject, I see myself watching it again in a few years, more out of nostalgia than pure enjoyment. However, I’d prefer to watch it in its original Japanese form if I could.

Be sure to check out my thoughts on the 2021 version.

All images were taken by me. All film rights belong to Universal International.